Facts and Figures of the 54th Congress in Madrid

The Facts and Figures of the 54th Congress in Madrid (June 3-6, 2017) are now available.

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EURODOPPS

On May 30 2014, ERA-EDTA and Arbor Research signed a collaboration agreement for the creation of EURODOPPS. The newly established joint venture will bring together the strengths of two initiatives – the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS) and the ERA-EDTA Registry – in collecting and analyzing epidemiological data on patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Europe. During the agreement signing ceremony Prof. Vanholder, president of the ERA-EDTA, pointed out that the new partnership is clearly a milestone: "It will enhance science and research. Therefore we are really proud to announce this important joint venture."

The ERA-EDTA Registry collects epidemiologic data from the national and regional renal registries in Europe and countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea with the purpose of performing scientific research and reporting statistics on dialysis and kidney transplant patients in Europe. In particular, the Registry studies disease patterns, treatment and patient outcomes in the various member countries. Registry results on both adult and pediatric patients are annually summarized in registry reports, and are presented at the ERA-EDTA congresses as well as in articles in various medical journals. The DOPPS is a prospective cohort study of hemodialysis practices that is currently ongoing in more than twenty countries in four continents. The DOPPS project uses a common data-collection protocol over time, and thus is able to monitor the impact of changes in clinical practice patterns and policies on patient outcomes. EURODOPPS data will include seven countries: Germany, Italy, France, United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, and Sweden.

What will be the advantages of EURODOPPS? The formal partnership with ERA-EDTA and regular transfer of EURODOPPS data to the Registry will enhance the use of these data to address scientific and policy questions that are of interest to the ERA-EDTA, the European nephrological community and health care authorities. It will facilitate research by European investigators. Furthermore, it will become possible to compare results from EURODOPPS and the ERA-EDTA Registry. With time, the possibility may be explored to extend this database with the help of the European Union to more European countries and therapies other than hemodialysis, for example transplantation. For the purpose of conducting and supervising the research, a special EURODOPPS Oversight Committee has been created.

"Therefore this partnership is a further valuable and complementary contribution to the ERA-EDTA Registry that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year", explains Dr. Kitty Jager, director of the ERA-EDTA Registry. "We are now able to exploit synergies and to generate new insights. Changes in European policy and clinical practice guidelines, as well as the introduction of new products, will undoubtedly influence dialysis practices and EURODOPPS will help to effectively monitor this changing landscape to ensure that patients on chronic hemodialysis in Europe continue to receive the highest standards of care. Furthermore, the new alliance might also provide a further credible data source to inform health care authorities about the current state of European dialysis care."